A World Away

Chapter 5

We walked hand in hand towards the dance hall hidden in the pub that I had walked back and forth multiple times through during my time here in Philly. Not once did I ever notice how lively it was until now at only eight at night when the lights of the building had shone through the windows and the music was blasting and cheers and hollers were so loud that it seemed as if they were right next to me. We stood outside the door of the hall waiting to enter into the mass of excitement of the room.

“You ever dance before?” She asked me.

“Would you like the truth or the lie?” I replied.

“You pick. Your exhibition once we’re in that room will tell me whether or not you’ve lied to me.”

“Will you be mad if I chose to lie?”

“No. Not since I gave you permission to pick.” She turned her head to look up at me. “I don’t appreciate liars, though. I gave you my trust, so I expect you to cherish it and not make me live to regret it. Got it?” Her face turned serious as she said this. She did write in her letter that she would trust me, but from the hard look in her eyes I knew that she was serious about who she gave her trust to. That only made me fall more when I realized she gave something she valued so much to someone like me.

“You have my word. Just this once I may or may not lie, but after tonight lying will be a thing of the past. I can promise you that.” She smiled at my words, and together, we opened the door to see both white and colored people dancing along to a colored ragtime band playing in the corner. The band was playing Li’l Liza Jane by Earl Fuller and the crowd was full of live-wires just ready for a party. The atmosphere immediately spurred my excitement as I saw men and women dancing together in nice dresses and jackets being flipped and turned and laughing at those few people who couldn’t exactly keep the same beat as everyone else.

“So can you dance, Adam O’Connell?” She asked keeping her eyes on the wild crowd.

“I’m the greatest dancer you’ll ever meet in your entire life,” I lied. Before I could react, Evelyn dragged me into the mass of people in the center of the room and began dancing wildly like everyone else.

“Now’s your time to prove it!” She shouted against the loud music and the cheers of the crowd. Since I obviously lied before, I danced with gracefulness of a toddler attempting to walk for the first time. Of course, that gave Evelyn an excuse to die of laughter right in front of me. “I’m guessing you lied before! You really can’t dance!”

“No! I can’t!” I shouted back. I smiled at her enjoyment and looked down to watch the feet of the other men in the room. They faced their women and held their hands fox-trotting around the room. In my attempt to not be such a goof on this date, I grabbed Evelyn’s hand and pulled her close to me. By accident, I pulled her so close that her chest was right against mine. Her lips were so close that I could feel her breath on my chin, but my focus turned back to the matter at hand. I started trying to mimic the same steps the other men were doing. The steps were so fast that it was a struggle trying to keep up. It frustrated me slightly that I couldn’t get the hang of it, but Evelyn continued to laugh at my difficulty.

“Don’t try to copy everyone else!” She said stopping me from moving anymore. “Just do what you think you should do!” With her words slowly making their way into my brain, I decided that now was the time to put her words into actions. I lifted her hand in the air and twirled her around making the skirt of her dress flutter out. But by accident, her foot stumbled on top of mine, and she started to fall backward. Just a second before she hit the floor, I managed to catch her from underneath and was leaning right over her face.

Her lips were so close once again. They were as red as the roses that bloomed in the spring. She looked up at me still breathless from the close call and slowly her eyes had moved to my lips. We were mere centimeters away from each other. Too close for comfort. But not close enough.